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Myanmar military hazing sparks outrage

A video that has gone viral on the internet shows young Burmese soldiers being punched and kicked as part of an apparent hazing ritual. WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES.

The clip shows a line of uniformed soldiers being repeatedly kicked and punched inside what appears to be a Myanmar army barracks while a soundtrack of hip-hop music is blasting in the background.

The person taking the video appears to encourage the assaults and is heard ordering one soldier to keep his arms in the air as he is repeatedly punched in the stomach.

The army has promised to investigate.

"You or I would not accept such treatment but it happened during a class training," Colonel Khin Maung Cho, a military spokesman, told the AFP news agency.

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"They had their reasons. It is still under investigation," he said. "I am very sure that action will be taken in this case, and not just a soft charge."

Myanmar's army ruled the country with an iron fist for almost half a century before allowing a quasi-civilian government to begin opening the pariah nation to the world and implementing reforms in 2011.

For decades the military was accused of gross human rights abuses.

Rights groups say the military still acts with impunity in border areas where conflicts with ethnic minorities are still raging.

Under an army-written constitution, the military retains a quarter of the seats in a parliament now dominated by the National League for Democracy, led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Ms Suu Kyi has said she intends to lead the country "above the president", after the military blocked her from that post because her two sons are British citizens.

The NLD won 80 per cent of seats at an historic election last November.